Substrates comprising frothed benefit agents for enhanced substrate benefits

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a nonwoven substrate comprising a fibrous web defining a surface; and a layer of a benefit agent wherein said benefit agent is selected from an additive composition, an enhancement component and combinations thereof; wherein said benefit agent is frothed and bonded to the fibrous web surface through a creping process and wherein said nonwoven substrate demonstrates improvements selected from enhanced tactile feel, enhanced printing, a decrease in hysteresis, an increase in bulk, an increase in elasticity/extensibility, an increase in retractability, a reduction in rugosities and combinations thereof when compared to an untreated substrate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.13/330,440 filed Dec. 19, 2011 which was a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/979,852 filed Dec. 28, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a creped nonwoven substrate comprisinga frothed polymer and additional softness enhancers that demonstrateenhanced tactile feel, enhanced printing, a decrease in hysteresis, anincrease in bulk, an increase in elasticity/extensibility, an increasein retractability, a reduction in rugosities and other beneficialproduct use benefits when compared to an untreated substrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Absorbent nonwoven products such as paper towels, tissues, diapers, andother similar products are designed to have desired levels of bulk,softness and strength. For example, in some tissue products, softness isenhanced by a topical additive composition such as a softening agent tothe outer surface(s) of a tissue web. Such additive composition may be abonding agent that is topically applied to a substrate, such as anonwoven, alone or in combination with creping operations. Creping maybe part of a nonwoven manufacturing process wherein tissue is adhered tothe hot surface of a rotating dryer drum by an additive composition. Thedried tissue and additive composition are together scraped off the dryerdrum via a doctor blade assembly. Creping adds bulk to tissue basesheets which in turn, increases softness as determined by hand feel.Other properties are affected as well, such as strength, flexibility,crepe folds and the like. Typically, additive compositions may besprayed onto the dryer drum of a Yankee dryer. However, the sprayingprocess has low chemical mass efficiency levels (40% to 70%) due towaste of the additive composition caused by a boundary layer of air nearthe dryer's surface and relatively high dryer temperatures. Bynecessity, the applicator is typically about 4 inches (101.6 mm) awayfrom the dryer surface. Due to the high rotational speed of the dryer,the boundary layer of air near the dryer surface is pulled alongcreating a pressure barrier that inhibits spray particles from reachingthe dryer surface.

Further, modifying any additives to include additional solid particlesand short fibers that improve the overall softness of a substrate issomewhat limited. Many additional particles that can enhance the finalhand feel of a substrate require mixing into the dispersion that issprayed onto the dryer. Because many of these particles are larger thanthe spray nozzles, clogging of the nozzles is an issue that prevents theadditive dispersion from being properly applied onto the dryer surface.Thus, a need exists for a method of applying an additive compositionalone or in combination with enhanced softening particles to a dryersurface and eventually a substrate in order to provide a substrate thathas improved softness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a nonwoven substrate comprising a fibrousweb defining a surface; and a layer of a benefit agent wherein saidbenefit agent is selected from an additive composition, an enhancementcomponent and combinations thereof; wherein said benefit agent isfrothed and bonded to the fibrous web surface through a creping processand wherein said nonwoven substrate demonstrates improvements selectedfrom enhanced tactile feel, enhanced printing, a decrease in hysteresis,an increase in bulk, an increase in elasticity/extensibility, anincrease in retractability, a reduction in rugosities and combinationsthereof when compared to an untreated substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in thedrawings a form that is exemplary; it being understood, however, thatthis invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of process steps used to create oneembodiment of a froth according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a SEM Image of untreated spunbond with printed ink.

FIG. 3 shows a SEM Image of one embodiment of the present inventionwherein spunbond has been used as the substrate which has been treatedaccording to the present invention and printed with ink.

FIG. 4 shows a graphical representation of elastic strain versus appliedstrain for embodiments of hydroknit materials that have been treatedaccording to the present invention along with comparative data of anuntreated substrate.

FIG. 5 shows a graphical representation of elastic strain versus appliedstrain for embodiment of spunbond materials that have been treatedaccording to the present invention along with comparative data of anuntreated substrate.

FIG. 6 is a series of SEM photographs showing the structural change of atissue material after being treated by an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 shows the mechanical direction (MD) elastic strain versus theapplied strain of an embodiment of a tissue substrate that has beentreated according to the present invention along with comparative dataof an untreated tissue substrate.

FIG. 8 shows the cross-directional (CD) elastic strain versus theapplied strain of an embodiment of a tissue substrate that has beentreated according to the present invention along with comparative dataof an untreated tissue substrate.

FIG. 9 shows SEM Images of an untreated control film.

-   -   (a) shows a SEM Image of one side of the untreated control film.    -   (b) shows a SEM Image of the opposite side of the untreated        control film.    -   (c) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of the        untreated control film.    -   (d) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of an        untreated control film at 5× the magnification of FIG. 9( c).

FIG. 10 shows SEM Images of a collapsed foam film layer of oneembodiment of a benefit agent according to the present invention whereinsuch embodiment comprises a HYPOD® dispersion.

-   -   (a) shows a SEM Image of one side of the collapsed foam film        layer.    -   (b) shows a SEM Image of the opposite side of the collapsed foam        film layer.    -   (c) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of the        collapsed foam film layer.    -   (d) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of the        collapsed foam film layer at almost 2× the magnification of FIG.        10( c).    -   (e) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of the        collapsed foam film layer at almost 7× the magnification of FIG.        10( c).    -   (f) shows a SEM Image of the cross-sectional view of the        collapsed foam film layer at 25× the magnification of FIG. 10(        c).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with the claims particularly pointingout and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that thepresent invention will be better understood from the followingdescription.

All percentages, parts and ratios are based upon the total weight of thecompositions of the present invention, unless otherwise specified. Allsuch weights as they pertain to listed ingredients are based on theactive level and, therefore, do not include solvents or by-products thatmay be included in commercially available materials, unless otherwisespecified. The term “weight percent” may be denoted as “wt.%” herein.Except where specific examples of actual measured values are presented,numerical values referred to herein should be considered to be qualifiedby the word “about”.

As used herein, “comprising” means that other steps and otheringredients which do not affect the end result can be added. This termencompasses the terms “consisting of and “consisting essentially of”.The compositions and methods/processes of the present invention cancomprise, consist of, and consist essentially of the essential elementsand limitations of the invention described herein, as well as any of theadditional or optional ingredients, components, steps, or limitationsdescribed herein.

“Additive composition” as used herein refers to chemical additives(sometimes referred to as chemical, chemistry, chemical composition andadd-on) that are applied topically to a substrate. Topical applicationsin accordance with the method of the present invention may occur duringa drying process, or a converting process. Additive compositionsaccording to the present invention may be applied to any substrate (e.g.tissues or nonwovens) and may include, but are not limited to, polymerdispersions, polymer solutions or mixtures thereof.

“Airlaid web” as used herein is made with an air forming process,wherein bundles of small fibers, having typical lengths ranging fromabout 3 to about 52 millimeters (mm), are separated and entrained in anair supply and then deposited onto a forming screen, usually with theassistance of a vacuum supply. The randomly deposited fibers are thenbonded to one another using, for example, hot air or a spray adhesive.The production of airlaid nonwoven composites is well defined in theliterature and documented in the art. Examples include, but are notlimited to, the DanWeb process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,810to Laursen et al. and assigned to Scan Web of North America Inc.; theKroyer process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,278 to Kroyer et al.;and U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,171 to Soerensen assigned to Niro Separationa/s; and the method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,448 to Appel et al. assignedto Kimberly-Clark Corporation, or other similar methods.

“Benefit Agents” are compositions or components that provide benefits tothe overall treated substrate such as softness, smoothness, moisture,scents, and the like. Benefit agents of the present invention include,but are not limited to “additive compositions” and “enhancementcomponents”.

“Bonded Carded Web” or “BCW” refers to a nonwoven web formed by cardingprocesses as are known to those skilled in the art and furtherdescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,928, which isincorporated herein by reference to the extent it is consistent to thepresent invention. In the carding process, one may use a blend of staplefibers, bonding fibers, and possibly other bonding components, such asan adhesive. These components are formed into a bulky ball that iscombed or otherwise treated to create a substantially uniform basisweight. This web is heated or otherwise treated to activate any adhesivecomponent, resulting in an integrated, lofty, nonwoven material.

“Coform” as used herein is a meltblown polymeric material to whichfibers or other components may be added. In the most basic sense, coformmay be made by having at least one meltblown die head arranged near achute through which other materials are added to the meltblown materialsas the web is formed. These “other materials” may be natural fibers,superabsorbent particles, natural polymer fibers (for example, rayon)and/or synthetic polymer fibers (for example, polypropylene orpolyester). The fibers may be of staple length. Coform material maycontain cellulosic material in an amount from about 10% by weight toabout 80% by weight, such as from about 30% by weight to about 70% byweight. For example, in one embodiment, a coform material may beproduced containing pulp fibers in an amount from about 40% by weight toabout 60% by weight.

“Creping” as defined herein occurs when a web that is adhered to a dryersurface is scraped off with a blade, such as a doctor blade.

“Enhancement Components” of the present invention are benefit agentsthat are additional components that may be added to the additivecomposition in order to impart other tactile or additional benefits thatcannot be achieved by the additive composition alone. The enhancementcomponents include, but are not limited to, microparticles, expandablemicrospheres, fibers, additional polymer dispersions, scents,anti-bacterials, moisturizers, medicaments, soothers, and the like.

“Froth” as defined herein is a liquid foam. According to the presentinvention, when the frothable composition of the present invention isheated on the dryer's surface, it will not form a solid foam structure.Instead, when applied to a heated surface, the frothable compositionturns into a substantially continuous film with air bubbles inside thefilm.

“Hydroentangled web” according to the present invention refers to a webthat has been subjected to columnar jets of a fluid causing the webfibers to entangle. Hydroentangling a web typically increases thestrength of the web. In one aspect, pulp fibers can be hydroentangledinto a continuous filament material, such as a “spunbond web.” Thehydroentangled web resulting in a nonwoven composite may contain pulpfibers in an amount from about 50% to about 80% by weight, such as in anamount of about 70% by weight. Hydroentangled composite webs asdescribed above are commercially available from the Kimberly-ClarkCorporation under the name HYDROKNIT®. Hydraulic entangling is describedin, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,202 to Everhart.

“Nonwoven” is defined herein as a class of fabrics generally produced byattaching fibers together. Nonwoven fabric is made by mechanical,chemical, thermal, adhesive, or solvent means, or any combination ofthese. Nonwoven manufacture is distinct from weaving, knitting, ortufting. Nonwoven fabrics may be made from synthetic thermoplasticpolymers or natural polymers such as cellulose. Cellulosic tissue is oneexample of a nonwoven material.

“Meltblowing” as used herein is a nonwoven web forming process thatextrudes and draws molten polymer resins with heated, high velocity airto form fine filaments. The filaments are cooled and collected as a webonto a moving screen. The process is similar to the spunbond process butmeltblown fibers are much finer and generally measured in microns.

“Processing Aids” as used herein refer to compositions that may help inthe process of forming the treated substrate of the present invention.For example, foaming agents may serve as suitable processing aids of thepresent invention. Additionally, creping aids may help with additionaladhesion or release properties for creping the substrate from a dryerdrum.

“Rugosities” as used herein describes the behavior of an elasticlaminate to appear as channeled wrinkles as a result of an elasticmaterial (film or filaments) that is pre-stretched while being attachedto a non-stretchy material substrate (such as a nonwoven). Rugositiesmay depend on how the laminate is attached or bonded to the non-stretchymaterial substrate. When the laminate is relaxed or released, thesubstrate appears as grooved or channeled wrinkles similar to that of anaccordion instrument. Such effect is common in personal care articleswherein the cuffs and waistbands are often bunched in order to provide abetter fit to the wearer. Rugosities are also described in furtherdetail according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,600 to Morman, et al, issuedNov. 5, 2002.

“Spunbond” as used herein is a nonwoven web process in which thefilaments have been extruded, drawn and laid on a moving screen to forma web. The term “spunbond” is often interchanged with “spunlaid,” butthe industry has conventionally adopted the spunbond or spunbonded termsto denote a specific web forming process. This is to differentiate thisweb forming process from the other two forms of the spunlaid webforming, which are meltblowing and flashspinning.

“Spunbond/Meltblown composite” as used herein is a laminar compositedefined by a multiple-layer fabric that is generally made of variousalternating layers of spunbond (“S”) webs and meltblown (“M”) webs: SMS,SMMS, SSMMS, etc.

“Tissue” as used herein generally refers to various paper products, suchas facial tissue, bath tissue, paper towels, table napkins, sanitarynapkins, and the like. A tissue product of the present invention cangenerally be produced from a cellulosic web having one or multiplelayers. For example, in one embodiment, the cellulosic or “paper”product can contain a single-layered paper web formed from a blend offibers. In another embodiment, the paper product can contain amulti-layered paper (i.e., stratified) web. Furthermore, the paperproduct can also be a single-or multi-ply product (e.g., more than onepaper web), wherein one or more of the plies may contain a paper webformed according to the present invention.

The present invention is an alternative to the current method ofspraying onto a dryer surface (e.g. the drum of a Yankee dryer or a hotcalender) an aqueous dispersion or a solution of creping chemicals. Incontrast to liquid chemistry, the frothed chemistry has enoughstructural integrity to reach the dryer surface against gravity due tosignificant high viscosity. By creating a frothed chemistry according tothe present invention, a chemistry applicator can be placed in muchcloser proximity to the dryer surface. Additionally, by utilizing thefrothed chemistry of the present invention, it is feasible toincorporate additional benefits that were otherwise more difficult toapply.

Another advantage of the present invention is that less energy isconsumed by the dryer. The close proximity of the chemistry applicatorto the dryer surface improves chemical mass efficiency (i.e., decreasewaste in application process) and energy efficiency. Efficiency isincreased because the air introduced into the froth of the presentinvention acts as a diluter. As a result, less heat is required toremove water from the frothed creping chemistry (i.e., benefit agents)during the drying process. This is an improvement over the sprayingprocess which uses water to dilute the benefit agent.

Further, after the creping step, a layer of the benefit agent remains onthe nonwoven substrate surface in order to add more bulk and softness.This increase in bulk is due to the entrapped air inside the coatedlayer. The enhanced softness is due to the benefit agents that can befrothed onto the dryer surface and subsequently transferred or adheredto the surface of the substrate through the creping process. Though thefrothed benefit agents become a film during the drying step, not all ofthe air entrapped in the froth is lost during the drying step due to thehigher viscosity associated with higher solid-levels in the frothedadditive composition.

The “film” of the benefit agent is more appropriately and accuratelydescribed as a “collapsed foam film layer”. To better understand thisdistinction, FIG. 9 shows the view of a traditional film (such as cast,extruded or blown film). As shown in FIG. 9 a the film is relativelysmooth with a few voids on one side and completely smooth on the otherside as shown in FIG. 9 b. In viewing the cross-sectional views of FIGS.9 c and 9 d, voids of the film can be seen relatively parallel to thehorizontal axis of the film. By contrast, FIG. 10 shows the view of alayer of the collapsed foam film of the present invention. Both sides(as shown in FIG. 10 a and FIG. 10 b of the collapsed foam film layershow a unique cellular structure that allow it to possess a differencein both mechanical and tactile properties when compared to traditionalfilms. FIG. 10 c-FIG. 10 f show magnified cross-sectional views of anembodiment of a collapsed foam film layer of the present invention. Asshown, the frothed benefit layer possesses voids of air entrapped due tothe froth which leads to advantages provided by the present invention.Additionally, the cellular structure in the Z direction can be easilyseen wherein the voids of the layer are more perpendicular to thehorizontal axis of the layer. Thus, the present invention does not justprovide a film in the traditional sense of the word but provides anadvantageous collapsed foam film layer via frothing and creping thatprovides the enhancements and improvements as described herein.

Various substrates other than tissue may be treated in accordance withthe present disclosure. Examples include, but are not limited to,wet-laid webs, airlaid webs, spunbond webs, meltblown webs, coform webs,bonded & carded webs (BCW), continuous film, spunlace, film/laminatesheets, and hydroentangled webs. The benefit agent is typically appliedon one side of any substrate, but could be applied to both sides asdesired.

Benefit Agents 1. Additive Composition

In a desired application, the additive composition may be present at alevel from about 50 mg/m² to about 10,000 mg/m², or from about 50 mg/m²to about 1000 mg/m² or from about 100 mg/m² to about 1000 mg/m². Thedifference between these suggested ranges is dependent on whether or notthe additive composition is applied to a substrate either in-line (suchas a tissue machine), or an off-line machine (such as a non-wovenconverting line). Additive compositions of the present invention may bein the form of a polymer dispersion or a polymer solution as set forthbelow.

A. Polymer Dispersions

Frothable compositions of water insoluble polymers may be in the form ofdispersions. The water insoluble polymer materials that are solids, suchas powder, granules, and the like, may be converted into a frothabledispersion by mixing it with water and surfactant(s) under certainprocessing conditions such as high pressure extrusion at an elevatedtemperature. The polymer dispersion may then be mixed with air and afoaming agent to convert it into a froth.

Examples of dispersions according to the present invention include, butare not limited to, a polyolefin dispersion such as HYPOD 8510®,commercially available from Dow Chemical, Freeport, Tex., U.S.A.;polyisoprene dispersion, such as KRATON®, orstyrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) copolymers, commerciallyavailable from Kraton Polymers U.S. LLC, Houston, Tex., U.S.A.;polybutadiene-styrene block copolymer dispersion such as Butanol®,commercially available from BASF Corporation, Florham Park, N.J., USA;latex dispersion such as E-PLUS®, commercially available from Wacker,Munich, Germany; polyvinyl pyrrolidone-styrene copolymer dispersion andpolyvinyl alcohol-ethylene copolymer dispersion, both are available fromAldrich, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A.

B. Polymer Solutions

Frothable compositions of water soluble polymers may also be in the formof solutions. The water-soluble polymer materials that are solids, suchas powder, granules, and the like, may be dissolved into a solution. Thepolymer solution may then be mixed with air and a foaming agent toconvert it into a froth.

Examples of polymer solutions according to the present invention includeboth synthetic and natural based water soluble polymers. The syntheticwater soluble polymers include, but are not limited to, polyalcohols,polyamines, polyimines, polyamides, polycarboxlic acids, polyoxides,polyglycols, polyethers, polyesters, copolymers and mixtures of thelisted above.

The natural based water soluble polymers include, but are not limitedto, modified cellulose, such as cellulose ethers and esters, modifiedstarch, chitosan and its salts, carrageenan, agar, gellan gum, guar gum,other modified polysaccharides and proteins, and combinations thereof.In one particular embodiment, the water soluble polymers also include:poly(acrylic acid) and salts thereof, poly(acrylate esters), andpoly(acrylic acid) copolymers. Other suitable water soluble polymersinclude polysaccharides of sufficient chain length to form films suchas, but not limited to, pullulan and pectin. For example, the watersoluble polymers may contain additional monoethylenically unsaturatedmonomers that do not bear a pendant acid group, but are copolymerizablewith monomers bearing acid groups. Such compounds include, for example,the monoacrylic esters and monomethacrylic esters of polyethylene glycolor polypropylene glycol, the molar masses (Mn) of the polyalkyleneglycols being up to about 2,000, for example.

In another particular embodiment, the water soluble polymers may behydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) sold by Ashland, Inc. under the brand nameof KLUCEL®. The water soluble polymers can be present in the additivecomposition in any operative amount and will vary based on the chemicalcomponent selected as well as on the end properties that are desired.For example, in the exemplary case of KLUCEL®, the biodegradable, watersoluble polymers can be present in the additive composition in an amountof about 1% to about 75%, or at least about 1%, at least about 5%, or atleast about 10%, or up to about 30%, up to about 50% or up to about 75%,based on the total weight of the additive composition, to provideimproved benefits. Other examples of suitable water soluble polymersinclude methyl cellulose (MC) sold by Ashland, Inc. under the brand nameBENECEL®; hydroxyethyl cellulose sold by Ashland, Inc. under the brandname NATROSOL®; and hydroxypropyl starch sold by Chemstar (Minneapolis,Minn., U.S.A.) under the brand name GLUCOSOL 800®. Any of thesechemistries, once diluted in water, are disposed onto a hot, non-porousdryer surface to ultimately transfer the chemistry to the web surface.The water soluble polymers in these chemistries include, but are notlimited to, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide,hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and combinations thereof.

Conventional creping chemistries for tissue manufacturing may includewater-soluble polymer solutions, such as an aqueous mixture comprisingpolyvinyl alcohol and a polyamide-epihalohydrin resin. While theseconventional creping chemistries comprise water-soluble polymersolutions, these are not able to provide the benefits of the presentinvention, which include enhanced softness without compromising thestrength of the tissue sheet.

The additive composition of the present invention may be commerciallyavailable, such as HYPOD 8510® dispersion, from the Dow ChemicalCorporation and consists of water, a polyethylene-octene copolymer, anda copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid. The polyethylene-octenecopolymer may be obtained commercially from the Dow Chemical Corporationunder the name AFFINITY® (type 29801) and the copolymer of ethylene andacrylic acid may be obtained commercially from the Dow ChemicalCorporation under the name PRIMACOR® (type 59081). PRIMACOR® acts as asurfactant to emulsify and stabilize AFFINITY® dispersion particles. Theacrylic acid co-monomer of PRIMACOR® is neutralized by potassiumhydroxide to a degree of neutralization of around 80%. Therefore, incomparison, PRIMACOR® is more hydrophilic than is AFFINITY®. In adispersion, PRIMACOR® acts as a surfactant or a dispersant. UnlikePRIMACOR®, AFFINITY®, as suspended in a dispersion, takes on a form oftiny droplets with a diameter of a few microns. PRIMACOR® moleculessurround the AFFINITY® droplets to form a “micelle” structure thatstabilizes the droplets. HYPOD 8510® contains about 60% AFFINITY® and40% PRIMACOR®.

When the dispersion becomes a molten liquid on the dryer's hot surface,AFFINITY® forms a continuous phase and PRIMACOR® a dispersing phaseforming islands in the AFFINITY® “ocean.” This phase change is calledphase inversion. However, occurrence of this phase inversion dependsupon external conditions such as temperature, time, molecular weight ofsolids, and concentration. Ultimately, phase inversion only occurs whenthe two polymers (or two phases) have enough relaxation time to allowphase inversion completion. In the present invention, HYPOD 8510® coatedfilm retains a dispersion morphology which indicates there is anincompletion of phase inversion. Benefits of the remaining dispersionmorphology include, but are not limited to, a more hydrophilic coatinglayer due to the exposure of the PRIMACOR® phase; and more improvedsoftness of the coated product due to entrapped air bubbles inside thecoated HYPOD 8510® layer which provide extra bulkiness.

The diluted dispersion may have a very low viscosity (around 1 cp, justlike water). A low viscosity dispersion, when applied onto a hot dryerdrum, will undergo a process of water evaporation and a complete phaseinversion of AFFINITY®. The resulting continuous molten film then hasPRIMACOR® dispersion islands embedded therein. The film formed aftercompletely evaporating the water is solid without any air bubblesentrapped therein. After transferring the molten film onto a the webthrough the creping process, the thin film covering the surface of thetreated tissue is discontinuous yet interconnected, see FIG. 6 c,discussed infra.

The process of the present invention may use a high solid, highviscosity dispersion of (about 10% to about 30%) and may contain a largeamount of air bubbles (air volume is at least 10 times more than thedispersion volume). Desirably, the commercially available HYPOD 8510®dispersion (about 42% solids, including both AFFINITY® and PRIMACOR®)has a viscosity around about 500 cps whereas water has a viscosity ofaround about 1 cps. A dispersion containing about 20% HYPOD 8510® mayhave a viscosity of around 200 cps, a relatively high viscosity, while adispersion having less than about 1% HYPOD 8510® may have a viscositycloser to water's viscosity (1 cp). After entrapping a high ratio ofair, the viscosity of the frothed HYPOD 8510® dispersion has beenincreased exponentially compared to the dispersion before being frothed.

Referring to FIG. 1, when a frothed dispersion is applied onto thenon-porous dryer surface 23, a limited amount of water will be quicklyevaporated therefrom. It is thought that the dispersion's slowevaporation due to high solids combined with its high viscosity willprevent the AFFINITY®-PRIMACOR® dispersion from completing a phaseinversion (wherein the AFFINITY® becomes continuous and the PRIMACOR®becomes a dispersion) and entrapped air from escaping. This results in aunique micro-structured molten film on the hot dryer surface.

Referring to FIG. 6, the SEM photos confirm the foregoing hypothesis.Two immediate benefits can be observed when comparing the prior artsurface-treated tissues and the surface-treated tissues of the presentinvention. First, the method of the present invention yields a tissuethat is more bulky and has a softer hand feel due to entrapment of airbubbles 21 (see FIG. 6 b). Second, the tissue of the present inventionhas a more wettable surface due to incomplete phase inversion, which inturn results in surface exposure of the hydrophilic component.

Visually compare FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 6 c to FIGS. 6 a′, 6 b′, 6 c′. Thecoated layer having dispersion beads 19 and entrapped air bubbles 21shown in FIG. 6 b, is softer than the melted film shown in FIG. 6 b′ asdetermined by the In Hand Ranking Test disclosed herein.

II. Enhancement Components

The present invention not only provides a substrate with improvedsoftness due to the benefit agents and process described herein, but italso provides for an improved hand feel. Enhancement components areadded to the dispersions of the present invention to provide acottony/fluffy feel to the substrate instead of the silky/slippery feelthat may often be felt with the use of the dispersions alone. It may beunderstood that the improved hand feel produced by the present inventionmay also include properties such as velvety, suede-like, hairy, smooth,fuzzy and like descriptors used to describe soft tactile properties.While the silky/slippery feel may be desirable for some substrates, thepresent invention provides other options in order that a variety oftextures and aesthetics can be provided. Enhancement components of thepresent invention include, but are not limited to, micro-particles suchas silica gel particles, thermally expandable microspheres such asEXPANCEL®, fibers such as cotton linter flocks, polymer dispersions suchas poly(vinylpyrrolidone-styrene), and combinations thereof. When cottonlinter flocks or other types of fibers are used, they may be from about0.1 mm fiber length to about 5 mm fiber length.

In addition to the enhancement components providing a contrasting handfeel, the enhancement components may also provide additional benefitsthat could not be appreciated with the use of the dispersion alone.Enhancement components of the present invention may also includefragrances, anti-bacterials, moisturizers, soothers, coloring agents,hydroxyethyl cellulose, medicaments and combinations thereof. Suchcomponents will provide an overall substrate that has improved feel fromthe dispersion in combination with benefits that may have not otherwisebeen provided without the present technology. The present invention mayutilize any or a combination of enhancement components to be includedwithin the additive composition of the present invention. For example,enhancement components may be added to a dispersion of the presentinvention in an amount of from about 0.5% to about 30%, from about 1% toabout 20% or from about 2% to about 10%, by weight of the dispersioncomposition.

The enhancement components can be added into the frothed chemistryeither before or after the chemistry has been frothed. In a desiredapplication, the enhancement component level is about from about 0.5% toabout 30% , or from about 1% to about 20%, or from about 2% to about10%, based on total dry weight of the additive composition.

When enhancement components are used in combination with the additivecompositions of the present invention, they allow for enhanced softnesswithout compromising strength. For example, when facial tissue is usedas the substrate of the present invention, there is an overall log oddsincrease of from about 0.5 to about 18 and a GMT level of from about 800to about 1200 when compared to substrates that have not been processedin the same manner as the present invention. “GMT” as used herein refersto the combination of machine and cross-machine directions indetermining tensile strength. Expanded microspheres stay on the surfaceof both film and tissue to contribute to hand feel improvement whenconsumers touch them in use conditions.

III. Processing Aids

Processing aids of the present invention include chemicals that may helpin the process of forming the treated substrate of the presentinvention. The processing aids may slightly appear or may dissipate inthe final, treated substrate. While they are included to solely aid inthe process of producing the treated substrates, they may also impartslight benefits to the substrate that are desired of the presentinvention. For the purposes of this application, “processing aids” arethose used in the process of frothing or applying the benefit agents tothe substrate and are not used in the process of making the precursorsubstrate.

A. Foaming Agents

Most commercial foaming agents are suitable for creating the froth ofthe present invention. Suitable foaming agents include, but are notlimited to, either low molecular or polymeric materials in liquid form.The foaming agents can be anionic, cationic or nonionic. These foamingagents can be divided into four groups depending on function:

1. Air Entrapment Agent—used to enhance a liquid's (dispersion,solution, or a mixture, etc.) capability to entrap air which can bemeasured by determining a “blow ratio.” An exemplary list of foamingagents include but is not limited to potassium laurate, sodium laurylsulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium stearate, potassium oleate,disodium octadecyl sulfosuccinimate, hydroxypropyl cellulose, etc.

2. Stabilization Agent—used to enhance stability of froth's air bubblesagainst time and temperature; examples include, but are not limited to,sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium stearate, hydroxypropyl cellulose, etc.

3. Wetting Agent—used to enhance the wettability of a film-coated driedsurface. Examples include, but are not limited to, sodium laurylsulfate, potassium laurate, disodium octadecyl sulfosuccinimate, etc.

4. Gelling Agent—used to stabilize air bubbles in the froth by causingthe additive composition to take the form of a gel which serves toreinforce cell walls. Examples include, but are not limited to,hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl celluloseand other modified cellulose ethers.

Some foaming agents can deliver more than one of the functions listedabove. Therefore, it is not necessary to use all four foaming agents ina frothable additive composition. Selection of the foaming agents isdependent upon the chemistry of the additive composition. For example,when the additive composition comprises an anionic component, such asHYPOD 8510®, suitable foaming agents have to be selected from eitheranionic or non-ionic groups. If a cationic foaming agent is used toenhance frothability of an anionic additive composition, the cationiccomponents in the foaming agent will form ionic bonds with the anioniccomponents in the additive composition and cause both cationic foamingagent and anionic additive composition to become water insoluble due toformation of the bonds. On the other hand, if an additive compositioncomprises cationic components, anionic foaming agents are not suitableto use.

B. Creping Aids

Creping Aids are chemistries that are added to the benefit agents of thepresent invention to optimize the adhesion and release properties of thetissue substrate to the dryer surface. These fall broadly into thefollowing groupings:

1. Adhesion Aid—used to increase adhesion of the tissue sheet to thedryer surface. Examples include, but are not limited to, polyvinylalcohol, polyacrylate, hydroxypropy starch, carboxymethy cellulose,kymene, polyvinyl amine, copolymers or mixtures thereof.

2. Release Aid—used to decrease adhesion (enhance release) of the tissuesheet to (from) the dryer surface. Examples include, but are not limitedto, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyethylene oxide,polypropylene oxide, polyolefin, fluorinated polyolefin, copolymer andblends comprising the above.

3. Curing Aid—used to hasten or retard curing of the creping packagesuch as a plasticizer or toughener.

4. Lutensol A 65 N Iconol 24 7®, hereinafter “Lutensol ®” (from theBASF® Chemical Company) may also be used to aid in creping within thepresent invention.

Froth Generating Process

In general, preparing frothed chemicals utilizes a system that pumpsboth liquid and air into a mixer. The mixer blends the air into theliquid to produce a froth which inherently includes a plurality of smallair bubbles. The froth exits the mixer and flows to an applicator.

One parameter to define the quality of frothed chemistry is the blowratio, which is defined by ratio of volume of small air bubblesentrapped by dispersion chemical to the volume of the dispersion beforemixing. For example, at a blow ratio of 10:1, a dispersion flow rate of1 liter/minute will be able to entrap 10 liters/minute of air into itsliquid and produce a total froth flow rate of 11 liters per minute.

To achieve a high blow ratio, both the mechanical mixing and thefrothing capability of the additive composition are determining factors.If a chemical can only hold or entrap air volume up to a blow ratio of5, no matter how powerful a froth unit is, it won't be able to produce astable froth having a blow ratio of 10. Any extra air beyond the blowratio of 5 will release out of the froth system once the mechanicalforce is removed. In other words, any entrapped air higher than thedispersion's air containment capability will become instable. Most ofsuch instable air bubbles will escape from the froth (debubbling)immediately after mechanical agitation is stopped.

Referring to FIG. 1, shown schematically, is a system 10 that cangenerate the frothed chemistry according to the present invention. Tobegin, frothable chemicals (e.g. HYPOD 8510®, KRATON®, and the like) areplaced in a chemical tank 12. The chemical tank 12 is connected to apump 14. It may be desirable to modify piping 13 between the chemicaltank 12 and pump 14 so that one may transmit the frothable chemicals totwo different sizes of pumps. Desirably the chemical tank 12 is situatedat an elevated level above the pump 14 in order to keep the pump primed.

One optional small secondary pump (not shown) may be used for runningthe frothing process at slow speeds relative to the pump 14. The largerprimary pump 14 is capable of producing flow rates up to 25liters/minute liquid flow-rate for high application speeds and/or highamounts of additive composition. The smaller, secondary pump (not shown)is capable of liquid flow rates up to about 500 cc/min. for lowapplication speeds and/or low additive composition.

A flow meter 16 is situated between the pump(s) 14 and a foam mixer 18.Liquid flow rates are calculated from desired additive composition,chemical solids, line-speed and applicator width. The flow rate mayrange from about 5:1 to about 50:1. When using the small secondary pump,its flow rate ranges from about 10 cc/min to about 500 cc/min. Whenusing the large pump 14, its flow rate ranges from about 0.5 liter/minto about 25 liter/min. A 20 liter/min air flow meter is selected whenusing the small secondary pump. There is a 200 liter/min air flow meterto use when running the larger primary pump 14.

In one aspect, the foam mixer 18 is used to blend air into the liquidmixture of frothable chemicals to create small air bubbles in the froth.Air is metered into the system 10 using certain liquid flow rates andblow ratios as discussed above. Desirably, the foam mixer 18 having asize of 25.4 cm (10 inches) may be used to generate froth. One possiblefoam mixer 18 is a CFS-10 inch Foam Generator from Gaston Systems, Inc.of Stanley, N.C., U.S.A.

Desirably, the rotational speed of the foam mixer 18 is limited to about600 rpm. The rpm speed for the mixer in this process is dependent uponthe additive composition's ability to foam (i.e., its capability ofentrapping air to form stable bubbles). If the additive compositionfoams easily, a lower rpm is generally required. If the additivecomposition does not foam easily, a higher rpm is generally required.The higher mixer speed helps to speed up the foam equilibrium or optimalblow ratio. A normal rpm for the mixer is about 20%-60% of the maximumrpm speed. The type of and/or amount of foam agent in addition to theadditive composition also has an effect on the mixer speed requirement.

The froth is checked for bubble uniformity, stability and flow pattern.If bubble uniformity, stability and flow pattern are not to desiredstandards, adjustments may be made to flow rates, mixing speeds, blowratio, and/or chemical compositions of the solutions/dispersions beforedirecting the froth to the applicator 24.

In one aspect of the invention, HYPOD 8510®, or other chemistries to befrothed and used for creping are blended and added to the chemical tank12. Dilute solutions of HYPOD 8510® (<10% total solids) and otherhard-to-froth chemistries generally require something added to theformulation to increase viscosity and foamability. For example,hydroxypropyl cellulose or other foaming agents or surfactants, can beused to produce a stable froth for uniform application onto the heatedand non-permeable surface of a rotating drum of a dryer surface. Theenhancement components, such as silica gel particles or cotton linterflocks, can be added into the additive composition in various ways,including, but not limited to: added into the additive compositionbefore the additive composition is pumped into a frothing machine;introduced into the frothed additive composition after the additivecomposition is coming out of the frothing machine but before the frothedadditive composition is applied onto the dryer's surface; or applied tothe dryer before the substrate contacts the additive composition. Whenthe enhancement components are introduced into the additive composition,it is necessary to constantly agitate the mixture before adding it intothe frothing machine in order to prevent the solid enhancement componentfrom being settled down at the bottom of the container. When theenhancement components are introduced into the frothed additivecomposition, a suitable device, which ensures a uniform mixing of theenhancement components and the frothed additive composition, is needed.

Substrates

Suitable substrate materials include but are not limited to facialtissue; uncreped through air-dried tissue (UCTAD); paper toweling;HYDROKNIT® nonwoven material from Kimberly Clark Corporation, Neenah,Wis., U.S.A., wet-laid webs, airlaid webs, spunbond webs, meltblownwebs, coform webs, bonded & carded webs (BCW), continuous film,spunlace, film/laminate sheets, hydroentangled webs, and all types ofpaper, tissue and other nonwoven products.

In the non-limiting examples discussed herein, the frothed chemistry maybe applied to a nonwoven such as a tissue. As used herein, nonwovens aremeant to include facial tissue, bath tissue, paper towels, spunbond,diaper or feminine care body side liners and outer covers, napkins (suchas for hands and face) and the like. Tissue may be made in differentways, including but not limited to conventionally felt-pressed tissuepaper; high bulk pattern densified tissue paper; and high bulk,uncompacted tissue paper. Tissue paper products made therefrom can be ofa single-ply or multi-ply construction such as in US Patent PublicationNo. 2008/0135195. Another embodiment for forming a tissue of the presentinvention utilizes a papermaking technique known as uncreped through-airdried (“UCTAD”). Examples of such a technique are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,048,589 to Cook, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,412 to Sudall, etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,001 to Hermans, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,309to Rugowski, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,417 to Wendt, et al.

Surface Coating Process

Unlike a process that sprays a dilute dispersion or solution onto adryer surface such as a Yankee dryer surface 23 (or other suitable dryerdrum surface (not shown)), the process of the present invention canapply high-solid frothed chemistry onto the dryer surface 23. In thepresent invention, air is used to dilute a benefit agent comprising anylevel of solids wherein the viscosity is within a range that can bepumped by the foaming machine. For example, having up to about 65% ofsolids, up to about 50% solids, up to about 35%, or up to about 20%solids.

The high-solid coating process of the present invention may exhibitproduct or process benefits including but not limited to softer surfacedue to the unique micro-structure of the collapsed foam film layer, lesschemical waste due to close and direct application of the frothedchemistry, and no need to use soft or deionized water due to the highratio of chemistry to water (for example, a chemical such as HYPOD 8510®becomes instable when it is exposed to a large quantity of hard water,i.e., a solid level of 1% or less); and less drying energy required todry the frothed chemistry as well as the base sheet. Additional benefitsdue to the addition of enhancement components include, but are notlimited to uniformity of the overall Benefit Agent film coating on thenonwoven substrate; enhanced adhesion of the overall Benefit Agentcoating to the nonwoven substrate; enhance mechanical strength of theoverall Benefit Agent coating film; and enhanced stability of theBenefit Agent froth from the foam generator unit to the dryer surface.

The frothed benefit agents may be applied onto a substrate by two ways:an inline application or an offline application. In the inline processesa foam generator and an applicator will be incorporated into a tissuemanufacturing and the frothed chemicals will be applied onto anysubstrate during the manufacture of same. An offline application enablesapplication of the froth chemistry to those substrates which areproduced by a non-creping process. For example, uncreped through airdried (“UCTAD”) bath tissue and melt-spun nonwoven materials aresuitable for use with the offline application method.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one aspect of the invention, the frothedchemicals are applied to the dryer surface 23 via an applicator 24. Thefroth applicator 24 is placed close to the dryer surface (0.64 cm or ¼inch) for uniform froth distribution onto the dryer surface 23. Suchpositioning allows for better, direct contact of the frothed chemistryto the dryer surface 23, especially during high speed operations.

It is most desirable to use a single parabolic applicator 24 to applychemistry to a rotating dryer drum surface 23. However, if varyinglevels of chemical application are required across the width of thedryer surface due to dryer or basesheet variability, applicators (notshown) with multiple zones of miniature parabolic applicators may beused.

In general, the enhancement component makes the additive compositioncoating (i.e., the ocean layer) exhibit a novel and improved hand feel.For example, HYPOD 8510® may be used as an additive composition and isfrothed/surface coated onto a substrate without an enhancementcomponent. When its surface is touched, it provides significant softnessimprovement in comparison to the same tissue with a conventional crepingchemistry. However, at the same time, it also feels slightly waxy orslippery. Some types of consumers may like this slippery feel, butothers may not want to have the feel. Adding an enhancement componentcan change the feel without compromising the softness improvement. Thehand feel obtained through this approach includes, but is not limitedto, cottony, velvety, fluffy, and/or hairy. Another benefit of addingthe enhancement component(s) is that the additive composition HYPOD8510® coating layer has an improved strength which was important whenthe benefit agents were applied onto pre-prepared substrates, such asthermoplastic nonwovens. This improved strength enables the coated filmof the benefit agents to have a uniform and complete coverage on thesubstrate.

Additionally, it can be shown that enhancement components and the methodof application could be used to enhance surface feel, such as softnessor improve surface properties, such as absorbency, friction, bulk, etc.Additionally, other surface benefits, such as scents, anti-bacterial,moisturizing, soothing agents, etc., could be applied better than theadditive composition HYPOD 8510® alone could provide. Substratescomprising both HYPOD 8510® and polyvinylpyrrolidone-styrene wasperceived to be almost 1.5 log odds softer (significant) than the use ofHYPOD 8510® without any enhancement components.

Applicants found that the IHR results for the HYPOD 8510® frothedsubstrate with 6% silica gel particles as the enhancement componentsresulted in having the softest perceived results with a greater than 5log-odds difference from the non-frothed substrate with conventionalcreping chemistry. The HYPOD 8510® frothed control without anyenhancement components was next at over 4 log-odds difference. All otherfrothed substrates were perceived to be at least 3 log odds softer thanthe control non-frothed substrate.

Another benefit to adding enhancement components is the tremendouscaliper increase that can be achieved while generally maintaining orhaving greater tensile strength than the non-frothed surface treatedsubstrate. These substrates were all calendered at the same nip pressurefor the facial converting process. The percentages listed next to thedata points are the amounts of the enhancement components added based onHYPOD 8510® dry weight in the formulation before frothing. It has beenshown that frothed and creped substrates showed an added increase inbulk over the non-frothed and creped substrates with the highest levelincreases at almost 35%. The majority of the substrates with theenhancement components increased bulk over the frothed substratecomprising only HYPOD 8510®. All of the processing conditions, such asblade types, bevel, and pressure loadings, were the same.

Creping Process

Creping is part of the substrate manufacturing process wherein thesubstrate is scraped off the surface of a rotating dryer (e.g. a YankeeDryer) via a blade assembly. Creping may be done as described in U.S.application Ser. No. 13/330,440 to Qin, et al., filed Dec. 19, 2011

Other Benefitting Factors

Benefit agents of the present invention can be used to provide a varietyof advantages that may be used to coat a substrate and provide theaforementioned advantages. Additionally, there are other advantages thatthe present invention provides that can be distinctly called out anddescribed according to the following.

Enhanced Printing

A unique advantage that the present invention, as described herein,provides is that it allows for improved capabilities for printing on anonwoven substrate. The additive composition can be applied such that itessentially forms a surface on the substrate that is more like a film sothat printing is more consistent and in some instances more vibrant. Forexample, spunbond is appreciated for its cloth-like tactile propertiesor feel, however, it is not a favored substrate over a film laminatewhen it comes to printing as the ink tends to spread or absorb into thematerial reducing the ink coverage that is shown on the substrate. Ofcourse, a film laminate is optimal for printing graphics but it is notoptimal as a substrate that will be close to the skin. Prior to thepresent invention, a solution for printing onto a nonwoven substrate hasbeen to adhesively laminate a printed film to the substrate. Althoughthis has worked well, it can add to the manufacturing process and costs.The present invention therefore provides a unique compromise wherein thecloth-like tactile properties or feel of the substrate is not removed,yet it also provides a surface that allows for enhanced printingcapabilities relative to the substrates. The present invention providesfor a relatively smooth surface eliminating the pixilated appearance ofcurrent outer cover materials. Additionally, ink adhesion is improved.Substrates of the present invention will have improved ink coverage ofat least about 25%, at least about 50% or at least about 75% whencompared to an untreated substrate. The present invention provides foran improved surface area so that more of the substrate can be covered bythe printed ink thereby improving the appearance or clarity of printingon the substrate as compared to an untreated substrate. Currentlysurface printing of outer cover laminates require the use of specializedinks to avoid potential issues with ink rub off. The present inventionmay accommodate any commercially available ink used for printing ontosubstrates. Additionally, any conventional techniques useful forprinting may be used within the present invention. Such techniques mayinclude, but are not limited to, gravure coating, offset printing,screen printing, flexography, inkjet printing, laser printing, digitalprinting, and the like. The dispersions of the present invention providepolar moieties that are anticipated to improve ink adhesion and thusimprove printing onto nonwoven substrates directly.

FIG. 2 shows an untreated spunbond that has been printed with ink. (Thewhite splotches are the ink printed onto the fibers of the spunbond). Bycomparison, FIG. 3 shows a spunbond substrate that has been treated withthe benefit agent of the present invention and printed with ink. It canbe seen that the treated sample (FIG. 3) has a film like coating on thesurface which gives it a greater area for the ink to cover the surfaceleading to enhanced visual aesthetics in terms of print clarity andvividness. Only approximately 20% of the surface was covered by ink inthe untreated spunbond, FIG. 2, as compared to the 50% ink coverage ofthe spunbond, FIG. 3, which was treated with the present invention. Thisdata was obtained quantifying the SEM images using image analysissoftware. The ink is able to adhere more consistently and smoothly onthe treated substrate and therefore improves the overall look of theprinting.

Enhanced Bulk and Stretch

In addition to improving the overall tactile feel of the nonwovensubstrate, the present invention also enables an increase in both bulkand basis weight when compared to an untreated substrate. Without beinglimited by theory, bulk may be proportional to the basis weight of thefibers within the substrates of the present invention. As the basisweight increases, the corrugation of the fibers may expand the caliperof the fibers in the Z direction and thus expand the bulk of the fibers.The fibers will loft thereby increasing the bulk of the fibers. Thebenefit agents of the present invention may alone or in combination withcertain creping mechanisms within the present invention contribute tosaid increase in bulk and increase in basis weight. For example, withoutbeing limited, when compared to an untreated spunbond substrate with abasis weight of 12 gsm and a bulk of 13 cc/g, the present invention mayallow for the spunbond to demonstrate a basis weight of 16 gsm and abulk of 27 cc/g (or a 33% and 108% increase respectively). Similarly,the creping mechanism and process can demonstrate an even greateradvantage and allow the spunbond to demonstrate a basis weight of 25 gsmand 25 cc/g (or a 108% and 92% increase respectively). For example, thepresent invention allows for nonwoven materials with varying cellulosiccontent to have a basis weight increase of greater than at least about20% to about 250% as compared to an untreated substrate. For example, anuntreated cellulose substrate has been shown to have a basis weight ofabout 56 gsm and 84% hysteresis. A nonwoven cellulose substrate of thepresent invention, however, can demonstrate a basis weight of about 95gsm (about a 70% increase in basis weight) and about a 74% hysteresis.In addition to the benefit agent, such as the frothed HYPOD 8510®dispersion used in the present invention, a second component such as anonionic surfactant like Lutensol® may further aid in the success ofincreasing bulk in substrates of the present invention. Lutensol® iscomposed of a seven mole ethylene oxide adduct of a linear laurylmyristyl alcohol that is also readily biodegradable. Additionally, withthe use of a nonionic surfactant such as Lutensol®, the presentinvention allows for the frothed benefit agent such as the HYPOD 8510®dispersion to be used at a low add-on level yet still uniformly spreadover the entire area of the substrate. The present invention, however,enables an increase in bulk without or up to about 50% addition of anonionic surfactant such as Lutensol®. For example, about 500 mg/m² ofthe frothed benefit agent, for example, HYPOD 8510® dispersion may becombined with about 250 mg/m² of a nonionic surfactant such as Lutensol®in some embodiments of the present invention (i.e. a ratio of nonionicsurfactant to benefit agent of about 1:2).

As used herein, the “hysteresis” value of a sample maybe determined byfirst stretching the sample to the desired elongation and then allowingthe sample to retract in a controlled manner at the same speed. Thehysteresis value is the decrease or loss of energy during this cyclicloading. The percent hysteresis (% hysteresis) is calculated byintegrating the area under the loading (A_(L)) and unloading curve(A_(UL)); taking their difference and dividing it by the area under theloading curve. % Hysteresis=(A_(L)−A_(UL))*100/(A_(L)). Thesemeasurements are performed using a “strip elongation test which issubstantially in accordance with the specifications in ASTM D5035-95.Specifically the test uses two clamps each having two jaws with each jawhaving a facing in contact with the sample. The clamps hold the materialin the same plane usually vertically, separated by 3 inches and move thecross head at a specific rate of extension. The sample size is 3 inchesby 6 inches with a jaw facing height of 1 inch and width of 3 inches anda constant rate of 10 in/min. The specimen is clamped in a MTS(Mechanical Test Systems) electromechanical test frame which has dataacquisition capability. The test is conducted at ambient condition bothin cross direction and machine direction (CD & MD). Results are reportedas an average of at least five specimens.

Without being limited by the data shown, FIG. 4 gives an example of thepresent invention, frothed and creped using hydroknit as the substrate,has about a 22% to about a 25% elastic strain at about 100% appliedstrain before showing any breakage. Comparatively, the control hydroknitonly has about a 15% elastic strain and breaks at about 25% appliedstrain. Similarly, without being limited by the data shown in FIG. 5,the present invention, frothed and creped using spunbond as thesubstrate, has about a 27% to about a 55% elastic strain at about a 100%stretch compared to the control that only extends up to about 18%elastic strain at about a 50% stretch before break. Without beinglimited by the data shown, FIG. 7 shows the mechanical direction (MD)elastic stretch (the recovery) versus the applied stretch. The presentinvention shows an increase in stretch due to the presence of thefrothed HYPOD 8510® dispersion combined with Lutensol® frothed onto atissue substrate. The present invention shows a surprising about 30%elastic stretch at about 80% applied strain =while the basic cellulosetissue shows no more than an only about an 8% elastic stretch at about a18% applied strain. Without being limited by the data shown, FIG. 8shows the cross-directional (CD) strain versus the applied straincomparison of a tissue of the present invention versus an untreatedtissue substrate. As shown, the present invention, using the frothedbenefit agent as a HYPOD 8510® dispersion combined with Lutensol® on atissue substrate, has the most elastic stretch up to failure compared tothe basic cellulose tissue.

Thus, while untreated nonwoven substrates may demonstrate a stretch orelongation at break, they generally do so at earlier stages of stretch.Generally, traditional untreated substrates may demonstrate of fromabout 8% to about 45% elongation at break. The present invention,however, allows for substrates that are treated as described herein, todemonstrate elongation at break of above about 45% elongation at break.For example, the present invention may demonstrate from about 45%, orfrom about 47% to about 55%, to about 80%, to about 280%, to about 337%,or to about 350% elongation at break. Particularly for certainsubstrates wherein the elongation at break is usually low, the presentinvention may provide for elongation at break to be about 25%, about30%, about 35%, about 38%, about 45% or about 47%. Such stretch can beespecially exemplified in tissue substrates according to the presentinvention.

Nonwoven substrates of the present invention will demonstrate at leastabout a 5%, at least about a 20%, at least about a 30%, at least about a40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, or atleast about 100% decrease in hysteresis when compared to a similarlyuntreated substrate. It will also demonstrate at least about a 20%, atleast about a 25%, at least about a 50%, at least about a 70%, at leastabout a 80%, at least about a 90%, at least about a 100%, at least abouta 110%, at least about a 125%, at least about a 200%, at least about a225%, or at least about a 250% increase in bulk as compared to anuntreated substrate as determined by the bulk test described herein.

Again, the present invention will increase bulk and/or elasticity in asubstrate with or without the presence of Lutensol® and may demonstratebulk and/or elasticity with the frothed HYPOD 8510® dispersion alone.Without being limited, an untreated hydroknit substrate can demonstrateabout 87% hysteresis and about 25% elongation at break. A hydroknitsubstrate of the present invention, however, can demonstrate about 67%hysteresis and about 337% elongation at break. Similarly, an untreatedspunbond substrate can demonstrate 100% hysteresis and about 45%elongation at break while a spunbond substrate of the present inventioncan demonstrate about 40% hysteresis and about 280% elongation at break.Thus, the present invention provides enhanced versatility by allowingsubstrates that usually provide no elasticity to not only be able tostretch but also recover with ease and go beyond the normal and expectednature of a similar substrate that has not been processed by the presentinvention.

A material which has more elastic strain has more elasticity or elasticenergy. Substrates of the present invention can demonstrate an increasedability to withstand stretches of at least about 25%, at least about50%, at least about 75% or at least about 100% of applied strain ascompared to an untreated substrate. While various substrates will vary,it is clear that the present invention allows for enhanced stretchingcompared to substrates that have not been treated accordingly. Forexample, untreated hydroknit can withstand about a 15% stretch withabout 25% applied strain. At about 50% applied strain, that sameuntreated hydroknit is unable to sustain stretching without breakingHydroknit of the present invention can withstand about a 12% stretch atabout 25% applied strain, about a 18% stretch at about a 50% appliedstrain, about a 21% stretch at about 75% applied strain and about a 23%stretch at about 100% applied strain. Similarly, untreated spunbond canwithstand about a 10% stretch at about a 25% applied strain and about a16% stretch at about a 50% applied strain. At about 75% applied strain,however, that same untreated spunbond is unable to sustain stretchingwithout breaking Spunbond of the present invention, however, canwithstand about a 17% stretch at about 25% applied strain, about 36%stretch at about 50% stretch applied strain, about 46% stretch at about75% applied strain and about 54% stretch at about 100% applied strain.

Enhanced Stretch with Elastic Retractibility

Current existing elastic film laminates such as those described in U.S.Pat. No. 8,287,677 to Lake et al, issued Oct. 16, 2012, are incorporatedinto personal care products utilize facings that are not elastic orextensible. As a result, the elastic film (and this is also the case inelastic filament executions) must be extended prior to lamination of thefacings and then relaxed. As a result of the film extension/relaxation,the elastic laminates tend to be bulkier when compared to traditionaltextile materials. In addition to the increase in bulk, the elasticlaminate visual appearance is dictated by the bond pattern used for thelamination. The visual effect is more like an accordion with peaks andvalleys bunched up in succession. Rugosities, as they are technicallyknown, are commonly seen along the cuffs and waistbands of disposablepersonal care products such as, but not limited to, feminine articles,incontinence products and diapers. Consumer feedback indicates thatmaterials that are thin, able to drape and possess cloth-like visual andtactile aesthetics are highly desired. Thus, a smoother elastic areathat appears more like underwear due to the reduced or absent rugositiesis more desirable. In addition, elastic film laminates rely on thenon-elastic facing to drive the perception of cloth-like aesthetics(visual and tactile). Currently, approaches to modify the aesthetics ofthe facings of laminates rely on post-lamination treatment (for example,groove rolling) or the use of high basis weight materials (bonded cardedwebs in particular which are not cost effective). Thus, a facingmaterial that is extensible, has a relatively low basis weight, andprovides bulk conveys a more cloth-like appearance and tactileproperties and provides an excellent opportunity to possess filmlaminates that mimic traditional textiles, i.e. appears more like clothunderwear. The present invention provides such a solution by providing acreped nonwoven substrate that has enhanced stretching capabilities andincreased bulk to deliver a product, specifically an elastic filmlaminate for a product with reduced or no rugosities. Nonwovensubstrates, when combined with a non-pre-stretched elastic film tocreate an elastic laminate of the present invention may demonstrate anelimination of rugosities (100% reduction in rugosities) or at the veryleast a reduction in rugosities from at least about 5%, from at leastabout 10%, from at least about 25% or from at least about 50% ascompared to an untreated substrate. The creped facings could also beused in work wear and Health Care garments (particularly on the bodyside of the garment) to enhance the perception of softness and morecloth-like texture for improved visual and tactile feel. The creping mayalso provide opportunities for improved moisture wicking depending onthe nonwoven substrate used as the facing.

Therefore, in addition, to the aforementioned softness and bulkenhancing improvements, the present invention enables the creping ofnonwoven substrates such as spunbond, bonded carded web, spunlace etc.leading to the development of structures with improvements such ashigher bulk and improved tactile and visual aesthetics. Because thepresent invention delivers a collapsed foam film benefit agent layer onthe nonwoven substrates, it helps the nonwoven retain a creped structurethat should be advantageous during the lamination process. Structuralevaluation of nonwoven materials, for example, spunbond, utilizing thepresent invention shows that the benefit agent layer coating essentiallystays on one side of, specifically the surface of the nonwoven material.The benefit agent of the present invention is concentrated primarily onthe peaks of the creped material which may coincide with the nonwovenmaterial bond points. The creped nonwoven has machine directionextensibility (with some level of recovery) and a more cloth-like visualaesthetic because the appearance of the bond points (if present) on thenonwoven material is minimized and thereby reduces the rugosities. Whenlaminated to an elastic film/filaments (without the need to pre-stretchthe elastic), the result is a laminated web that can be incorporatedinto a product, for example, a disposable personal care article thatlooks and feels like underwear but provides the protection andmanageable care qualities of a disposable article. Although not limitedto such articles, this can be especially desirable in disposableincontinence articles where adults desire a less diaper-appearingproduct that bunches at the waist and legs in order to wear a productthat gives a more discreet wear and feel.

The ability to crepe an extensible and retractable nonwoven materialfacing has been leveraged to produce non-pre-stretched (no or lessrugosities) elastic laminates. To produce the laminates, the crepednonwoven materials of the present invention, for example (a spunbondmaterial layered with the benefit agent comprising HYPOD® 8510) waslaminated to one or both sides of an elastic film using adhesive. As aresult, the benefit agent may be layered on the side of the crepedsubstrate that is attached to the film to produce tactile and visualcues of laminates that are a more bulky, cloth-like material. As thefilm layer is not stretched and retracted, the basis weight of the filmcan be adjusted to meet physical property requirements rather thanprocess requirements. The present invention provides creped nonwovensubstrates produced from a variety of raw materials. Of particularinterest are nonwovens produced from polypropylene, polyamides,polyesters, polyethylene, propylene/ethylene copolymers and otherpolyolefin blends. In addition, the level of crepe may be adjusted toprovide varying degrees of MD extensibility allowing for elasticlaminates with varying amounts of stretch/recovery.

Use of the creped substrates of the present invention also provides theopportunity to enhance the visual and tactile aesthetics of elastic filmlaminates such as those used as outer cover materials in personal careproducts such as, but not limited to, feminine articles, incontinenceproducts and diapers. Adhesive lamination of the creped facings providesa more bulky, cloth-like appearance and tactile properties withoutrequiring the use of high basis weight materials.

The present invention demonstrates improvements unfounded in substratesthat have not been treated by means provided by the present invention.As described, improvements of the present invention as compared tountreated substrates may be selected from, enhanced tactile feel such assoftness and the like, enhanced printing, a decrease in hysteresis, anincrease in bulk, an increase in elasticity/extensibility, an increasein retractability, a reduction in rugosities, and combinations thereof.

Other Additives

The nonwoven substrates of the present invention may have additionalcompositions added to provide additional benefits beyond theaforementioned such as softness, printing enhancement, elasticity andbulk. Compositions may be added to the benefit agent treated substratesto aid in the overall substrate performance. Specifically, in productssuch as personal care articles, additional compositions may help theperformance or the users experience with the product overall.

Body Fluid Rheological Modifiers

The advantage in providing a body fluid rheological modifier is to aidthe nonwoven substrates of the present invention in the handling offluids comprising blood components such as, but not limited to, femininecare products and wound dressings. Body fluid rheological modifiersinclude, but are not limited to mucolytic agents, mucin modifiers, redblood cell modifiers, the like, and combinations thereof. Body fluidrheological modifiers of the present invention comprise a variety ofcomposition or agents that are able to interact with body fluids inorder to better aid body fluid interaction with the substrate. Forexample, mucolytic agents are known to break down critical disulfideintramolecular and/or intermolecular bonds in the mucus glycol-proteinor mucin component of the menstrual fluid, thereby significantlydecreasing the viscoelasticity of the mucus. Such agents have beendescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,687,681 to DiLuccio et al, issued Mar. 30,2010 and are useful herein. Mucolytic agents can also modify the mucinby cleaving the protein backbone, modifying the 3D structure anddecreasing the entanglement within the structure of the mucin. Theseinclude non-ionic surfactants, such as Lutenzol®, enzymes, such asPapain, and carbohydrates, such as Dextran as further described in U.S.Pat. No. 8,044,255 to Potts et al, issued Oct. 25, 2011, U.S. Pat. No.6,060,636 to Yahiaoui, et al., issued May 9, 2000 and U.S. Pat. No.7,928,282 to Dibb, et al., issued Apr. 19, 2011, respectively. Mucolyticagents of the present invention include, but are not limited to,L-cysteine, thioglycolates, dithiotriacol and combinations thereof. Bodyfluid rheological modifiers can be used within the present invention inamounts of from about 0.1% or from about 0.2% to about 5% or to about20% or based on the weight of the benefit agent composition.

In some substrates, the nonwoven material may exhibit a blockage ofpores caused by the red blood cells which results in a decrease in thefluid intake and the wicking capabilities of the substrate. Red bloodcell modifiers also exist that can reduce the viscosity as well asreduce pore blockage. These include, but are not limited to, Glucopon220®, PLURONIC®, and those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,711 toPotts, et al., issued Feb. 26, 2002. Additionally, wherein the substrateis used for capturing body fluids, including, but not limited to redblood cells, the blockage of pores may result in an increase of leakage.Thus, adding such a composition to the nonwoven substrate of the presentinvention may enhance the end user experience thereby creating anadvantageous substrate product.

Anti-Adherence Agents

In order to prevent viscoelastic fluids, such as menses and feces, fromattaching to the skin, anti-adherence agents may be added.Anti-adherence agents may comprise at least one viscoelastant material,at least one anti-adherent material, or combinations thereof and may beadded to the nonwoven substrate of the present invention. Anti-adherentagents are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,642,396 to Schroeder et al,issued Jan. 5, 2010. Specifically, anti-adherent agents act to preventthe adherence of menses and/or fecal material to the skin in the labialand perianal regions during and after menstruation or defecation,respectively. Suitable viscoelastant materials include, but are notlimited to, linked enzymes, alkyl polyglycosides having 8-10 carbonatoms in the alkyl chain, bovine lipid extract surfactant, dextrans,dextran derivatives and combinations thereof. Suitable anti-adherentcompounds of the present invention include, but are not limited to,alginic acid, beta-benzal-butyric acid, botanicals, casein, farnesol,flavones, fucans, galactolipid, kininogen, hyaluronate, inulin, iridoidglycosides, nanoparticles, perlecan, phosphorothioateoligodeoxynucleotides, poloxamer 407, polymethylmethacrylate, silicone,sulphated exopolysaccharides, tetrachlorodecaoxide, and combinationsthereof. Anti-adherence agents may be added to the nonwoven substratesof the present invention in an amount of from about 0.01% to about 25%by weight of the viscoelastant material or the anti-adherent material.Other variant amounts include from about 0.05% to about 10% or fromabout 0.1% to about 8% or from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of theviscoelastant material or the anti-adherent material.

Odor Control Materials

Any variety of odor control materials may be used in accordance with thepresent invention that are capable of imparting odor control to anonwoven substrate. Such odor control uses are especially useful inpersonal care absorbent articles. For example, odor control materialsmay be a deodorizing mixture of an anhydrous mixture of basic, pHneutral and acidic odor absorbing particles as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,342,333 to Tanzer et al., issued Aug. 30, 1994 or U.S. Pat. No.5,364,380 to Tanzer et al, issued Nov. 15, 1994. Suitable odor controlmaterials of the present invention may also comprise odor controlsystems that reduce odor by action on malodorous substances in asubstrate (such as an absorbent article) or by reducing the odor byacting on the user's nose receptors as described in US Application No.2008249490 to Carlucci et al, filed Oct. 9, 2008. Other odor controlmaterials of the present invention may also comprise odor controlsystems that provide prolonged odor control by focusing on materialswith high and low volatility such as those described in US ApplicationNo. 2008071238 to Sierri et al, filed Mar. 26, 2008. Odor controlmaterials are further described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,956 to Do, et al,issued Nov. 29, 2011 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,862 to Fontenot, et al,issued Aug. 9, 2005. Odor control materials of the present inventioninclude, but are not limited to, ammonia neutralizers, functionalfragrances, chelating agents, inorganic oxide particles, such as silica,alumina, zirconia, magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, zincoxide, copper oxide, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), activatedcharcoal, activated carbon, diatomaceous earths, zeolites, clays (e.g.,smectite clay) and combinations thereof. Odor control materials may bepresent from about 2 gsm to about 80 gsm, from about 8 gsm to about 40gsm, or from about 12 gsm to about 30 gsm depending on the basis weightof the nonwoven substrate.

EXAMPLES

The following examples further describe and demonstrate embodimentswithin the scope of the present invention. The examples are given solelyfor the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed aslimitations of the present invention, as many variations thereof arepossible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Example 1

Commercial HYPOD® dispersion was diluted with water to a 30% HYPOD®solid level and then frothed by the Gaston unit. The stable froth wasapplied to the hot drum surface of the 60 inch calendar dryer. The curedHYPOD® dispersion was creped off the dryer surface. Spunbond basesheetswere creped using the froth process of the present invention asdescribed herein. The HYPOD® coated basesheets were then printed withCyan ink wherein 100 parts of the ink were mixed with 4.5 parts of thecross-linker by weight. The samples were hand printed using an aniloxroller of 10.8 bcm (billion cubic microns).

Froth Process Conditions:

-   % Solids in dispersion: 10-30% HYPOD 8510®-   Dryer Temperature: 260-300 deg F.-   Dispersion Flow rate: 100-500 cc/min-   Mixer Speed: 20%-60%-   Blow ratio: 5-30

Image analysis was performed on the SEM images to quantify surface inkcoverage on both the untreated spunbond and the spunbond treated withthe benefit agent of the present invention. The treated samples showhigher % surface ink coverage than the untreated spunbond as shown inTable 1.

TABLE 1 Substrate % Ink Coverage Spunbond Control A (8 gsm) 14.00Spunbond Control B (12 gsm) 17.00 Spunbond Frothed (8 gsm) 61.00

Example 2

Commercial HYPOD 8510® polyolefin dispersion was diluted with water tovaried HYPOD 8510 solids levels with no or up to 50% additions ofLutensol® A 65 N ICONOL® 24 7 based on HYPOD 8510 solids. This chemistrywas then frothed by the Gaston Systems foam unit and the stable frothwas applied to the hot surface of a 60 inch dryer. The basesheet wasthen pressed onto the collapsed foam coated dryer surface, creped offthe dryer surface, and wound up on a reel drum.

Basesheets namely cellulose based towel, hydroknit®, spunbond were usedto create stretchy materials using the process by controlling thecreping blade geometry and/or the draw ratio.

Froth Process Conditions:

-   % Solids in dispersion: 5% -30% HYPOD 8510 ®-   Dryer Temperature: 230-300 deg F.-   Dispersion Flow rate: 50-500 cc/min-   Mixer Speed: 20-60%-   Blow ratio: 5-30

Mechanical Testing—% Hysteresis:

Testing was performed using MTS tensile tester model # Insight ModelEL1. A 3″ inch wide test specimen was pulled at 10 in/min up to 20%strain and then retracted at the same rate to 0% strain. The area underthe loading and unloading curve was measured as hysteresis as shown intables 2 and 3. Additionally, table 3 shows elongation at break for eachof the tested substrates.

TABLE 2 % Hysteresis for creped cellulose towel Basis % HysteresisWeight (gsm) Average Std. Dev Control 56 84 ±0.6 Cellulose Frothed 95 74±0.7

TABLE 3 % Hysteresis for creped spunbond and hydroknit and cellulosefacial tissue % Hysteresis % Elongation of break Control Hydroknit 87 25Hydroknit A Frothed 70 153 Hydroknit B Frothed 66 337 Control Spunbond100 45 Spunbond A Frothed 42 124 Spunbond B Frothed 40 280 ControlFacial Tissue 95 29 Frothed Facial Tissue 65 47

Mechanical Testing—Elastic Energy:

Testing was performed using MTS tensile tester model # Insight ModelEL1. A 3″ inch wide test specimen was pulled at 10 in/min throughnumerous cyclic loading and unloading curves up to increasing % strains(25, 50, 75 and 100). The amount of permanent deformation was measuredafter each cycle according to the applied strain (in/in) for each cycleas shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Elastic Strain at given applied strain Applied strain (in/in)0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 Control Hydroknit 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 Hydroknit AFrothed 0.12 0.18 0.21 0.23 Hydroknit B Frothed 0.10 0.17 0.22 0.25Control spunbond 0.10 0.16 0.00 0.00 Spunbond A Frothed 0.16 0.28 0.300.28 Spunbond B Frothed 0.17 0.36 0.46 0.54 Control Facial Tissue 0.060.00 0.00 0.00 Frothed Facial Tissue 0.12 0.16 0.03 0.00

Example 3

Bulk was measured by quantifying the basis weight (gsm) and bulk (cc/g)by measuring the weight and the thickness of the material. The resultsare as shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Code Number Basis Weight (gsm) Bulk (cc/g) Control Spunbond 1213 Spunbond A Frothed 16 27 Spunbond B Frothed 25 25

Test Methods (1) In-Hand Ranking Test for Tactile Properties (IHR Test):

The In-Hand Ranking Test (IHR) is a basic assessment of in-hand feel offibrous webs and assesses attributes such as softness. This test isuseful in obtaining a quick read as to whether a process change ishumanly detectable and/or affects the softness perception, as comparedto a control. The difference of the IHR softness data between a treatedweb and a control web reflects the degree of softness improvement.

A panel of testers was trained to provide assessments more accuratelythan an average untrained consumer might provide. Rank data generatedfor each sample code by the panel were analyzed using a proportionalhazards regression model. This model computationally assumes that thepanelist proceeds through the ranking procedure from most of theattribute being assessed to least of the attribute. The softness testresults are presented as log odds values. The log odds are the naturallogarithm of the risk ratios that are estimated for each code from theproportional hazards regression model. Larger log odds indicate theattribute of interest is perceived with greater intensity.

Because the IHR results are expressed in log odds, the difference inimproved softness is actually much more significant than the dataindicates. For example, when the difference of IHR data is 1, itactually represents 10 times (10¹=10) improvement in overall softness,or 1,000% improvement over its control. In another example, if thedifference is 0.2, it represents 1.58 times (10^(0.2)=1.58) or a 58%improvement.

The data from the IHR can also be presented in rank format. The data cangenerally be used to make relative comparisons within tests as aproduct's ranking is dependent upon the products with which it isranked. Across-test comparisons can be made when at least one product istested in both tests.

(2) Bulk Test

Sheet bulk is calculated as the quotient of the sheet caliper of aconditioned fibrous sheet, expressed in microns, divided by theconditioned basis weight, and expressed in grams per square meter. Theresulting sheet bulk is expressed in cubic centimeters per gram (cc/g).More specifically, the sheet caliper is the representative thickness ofa single sheet measured in accordance with TAPPI test methods T402“Standard Conditioning and Testing Atmosphere For Paper, Board, PulpHandsheets and Related Products” and T411 om-89 “Thickness (caliper) ofPaper, Paperboard, and Combined Board” with Note 3 for stacked sheets.The micrometer used for carrying out T411 om-89 is an Emveco 200-ATissue Caliper Tester available from Emveco, Inc., Newberg, Oreg.,U.S.A. The micrometer has a load of 2 kilo-Pascals, a pressure foot areaof 2500 square millimeters, a pressure foot diameter of 56.42millimeters, a dwell time of 3 seconds and a lowering rate of 0.8millimeters per second.

(3) Viscosity Test

Viscosity is measured using a Brookfield Viscometer, model RVDV-II+,available from Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Middleboro, Mass.,U.S.A. Measurements are taken at room temperature (23 C), at 100 rpm,with either spindle 4 or spindle 6, depending on the expected viscosity.Viscosity measurements are reported in units of centipoise.

(4) Quantity of HYPOD 8510 Additive Composition Test

In one aspect of the invention, HYPOD add-on is determined by using aciddigestion. Samples are wet ashed with enough concentrated sulfuric andnitric acid to destroy the carbonaceous material and isolate thepotassium ions from the cellulosic matrix. The potassium concentrationis then measured by atomic absorption. HYPOD 8510® add-ons aredetermined by referencing the potassium concentration of the HYPOD 8510®on the sample to bulk HYPOD 8510® measurements from a control HYPOD8510® dispersion solution (LOTVB1955WC30, 3.53%).

(5) Method for Determining Content of Additive Composition in Tissue.

Samples were digested following EPA method 3010A. The method consists ofdigesting a known amount of material with Nitric Acid in a blockdigester and bringing it up to a known volume at the end of thedigestion.

Analysis was performed on a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometerusing EPA method 7610 dated July 1986, which is a direct aspirationmethod using an air/acetylene flame. The instrument used was a VARIANAA240FS available from Aligent Technologies, Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.A.

The analysis was performed in the following manner: The instrument wascalibrated with a blank and five standards. Calibration was followedwith analyzing a second source standard to confirm the calibrationstandards. In this particular case, recovery was 97% (90-110% beingacceptable). Next a digestion blank and a digestion standard wereanalyzed. In this particular case, the blank was less than 0.1 mg/l andthe standard recovery was 93% (85-115% being acceptable). Samples werethen analyzed and after every tenth sample a standard was run (90-110%being acceptable). At the end of entire analysis, a blank and standardwere run.

(6) Basis Weight

The Basis Weight of the tissue sheet specimens was determined using amodified TAPPI T410 procedure. The pre-plied samples were conditioned at23° C.±1° C. and 50±2% relative humidity for a minimum of 4 hours. Afterconditioning a stack of 16-3″×3″ pre-plied samples was cut using a diepress and associated die. This represents a tissue sheet sample area of144 in² or 0.0929 m². Examples of suitable die presses are TMI DGD diepress manufactured by Testing Machines, Inc. located at Islandia, N.Y.,or a Swing Beam testing machine manufactured by USM Corporation, locatedat Wilmington, Mass. Die size tolerances are +/−0.008 inches in bothdirections. The specimen stack is then weighed to the nearest 0.001 gramon a tared analytical balance. The basis weight in grams per squaremeter (gsm) is calculated using the following equation:

Basis weight (conditioned)=stack wt. in grams/(0.0929 m²)

(7) Geometric Mean Tensile Strength (GMT)

The Geometric Mean Tensile Strength (GMT) is the square root of theproduct of the dry machine direction (MD) tensile strength multiplied bythe dry cross-machine direction (CD) tensile strength and is expressedas grams per 3 inches of sample width. The MD tensile strength is thepeak load per 3 inches of sample width when a sample is pulled torupture in the machine direction. Similarly, the CD tensile strength isthe peak load per 3 inches of sample width when a sample is pulled torupture in the cross-machine direction. The tensile curves are obtainedunder laboratory conditions of 23.0° C.±1.0° C., 50.0±2.0% relativehumidity and after the tissue samples have equilibrated to the testingconditions for a period of not less than four hours.

The samples for tensile strength testing are cut into strips 3 incheswide (76 mm) by at least 5 inches (127 mm) long in either the machinedirection (MD) or cross-machine direction (CD) orientation using a JDCPrecision Sample Cutter (Thwing-Albert Instrument Company, Philadelphia,Pa., Model No. SC130). The tensile tests are measured on an MTS SystemsSynergie 100 run with TestWorks® 4 software version 4.08 (MTS SystemsCorp., Eden Prairie, Minn.).

The load cell is selected from either a 50 Newton or 100 Newton maximum,depending on the strength of the sample being tested, such that themajority of peak load values fall between 10-90% of the load cell's fullscale value. The gauge length between jaws is 4+/−0.04 inches (102+/−1mm). The jaws are operated using pneumatic-action and are rubber coated.The minimum grip face width is 3 inches (76 mm), and the approximateheight of a jaw is 0.5 inches (13 m). The crosshead speed is 10+/−0.4inches/min (254+/−10 mm/min), and the break sensitivity is set at 65%.

The sample is placed in the jaws of the instrument, centered bothvertically and horizontally. The test is then started and ends when thespecimen breaks. The peak load is recorded as either the “MD tensilestrength” or the “CD tensile strength” of the specimen depending ondirection of the sample being tested. Ten (10) specimens per sample aretested in each direction with the arithmetic average being reported aseither the MD or CD tensile strength value for the product. Thegeometric mean tensile strength is calculated from the followingequation:

GMT=(MD Tensile*CD Tensile)^(1/2)

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm”.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, inrelevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of anydocument is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaningor definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to the term in this written documentshall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A nonwoven substrate comprising: a fibrous webdefining a surface; and a layer of a benefit agent wherein said benefitagent is selected from an additive composition, an enhancement componentand combinations thereof; wherein said benefit agent is frothed andbonded to the fibrous web surface through a creping process; and whereinsaid nonwoven substrate demonstrates improvements selected from enhancedtactile feel, enhanced printing, a decrease in hysteresis, an increasein bulk, an increase in elasticity/extensibility, an increase inretractability, a reduction in rugosities and combinations thereof whencompared to an untreated substrate.
 2. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1wherein the improvements are selected from at least about a 5% decreasein hysteresis, at least about a 40% increase in bulk, and combinationsthereof when compared to an untreated substrate.
 3. The nonwovensubstrate of claim 1 wherein the fibrous web is selected from the groupconsisting of tissue, through air-dried tissue, paper toweling,hydroentangled web, spunbond, meltblown, coform, bonded carded web,airlaid, laminates, paper, and composite combinations of the above. 4.The nonwoven substrate of claim 1 wherein the benefit agent is anadditive composition wherein said additive composition is a polymerdispersion selected from polyolefin dispersions, SEBS copolymerdispersions, polyisoprene dispersions, polybutadiene-styrene blockcopolymer dispersions, latex dispersions, polyvinyl pyrrolidone-styrenecopolymer dispersions, polyvinyl alcohol-ethylene copolymer dispersions,and combinations thereof.
 5. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1 whereinthe enhancement component is selected from microparticles, expandablemicrospheres, fibers, additional polymer dispersions, scents,anti-bacterials, moisturizers, medicaments and soothers.
 6. The nonwovensubstrate of claim 4 further comprising an enhancement component that isadded to the polymer dispersion in an amount from about 0.5% to about30%, by weight of the dispersion.
 7. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1wherein the additive composition is a water-insoluble polyolefincopolymer selected from ethylene-acrylic acid, polyethylene-octenecopolymer, and combinations thereof.
 8. The nonwoven substrate of claim1 wherein the additive composition is selected from a syntheticwater-soluble polymer, a natural water-soluble polymer and mixturesthereof.
 9. The nonwoven substrate of claim 8 wherein the additivecomposition is a synthetic water-soluble polymer selected frompolyalcohols, polyamines, polyimines, polyamides, polycarboxlic acids,polyoxides, polyglycols, polyethers, polyesters, copolymers and mixturesthereof.
 10. The nonwoven substrate of claim 8 wherein the additivecomposition is a natural water-soluble polymer selected from modifiedcellulose, modified starch, modified protein, chitosan, chitosan salts,carrageenan, agar, gellan gum, guar gum and combinations thereof. 11.The nonwoven substrate of claim 1 wherein the substrate exhibitsimproved ink coverage of at least about 25% in improving the appearanceof printing on said substrate.
 12. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1wherein the substrate exhibits from about a 20% to about a 250% increasein bulk as determined by the bulk test.
 13. The nonwoven substrate ofclaim 4 wherein a nonionic surfactant is combined with the additivecomposition in a ratio of about 1:2.
 14. The nonwoven substrate of claim1 wherein the substrate demonstrates an elastic strain that is able tosustain from about 25% to about 100% of an applied strain stretch beforebreaking.
 15. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1 wherein the substratedemonstrates above about a 45% elongation at break.
 16. The nonwovensubstrate of claim 1 wherein the substrate is combined with anon-pre-stretched elastic film to create an elastic laminate with fromabout 5% to about 100% reduction in rugosities.
 17. The nonwovensubstrate of claim 1 further comprising from about 0.1% to about 20% ofa body fluid rheological modifier.
 18. The nonwoven substrate of claim17 wherein the body fluid rheological modifier is selected frommucolytic agents wherein said mucolytic agents are selected fromL-cysteine, thioglycolates, dithiotriacol and combinations thereof;mucin modifiers; red blood cell modifiers; and combinations thereof. 19.The nonwoven substrate of claim 1 further comprising an anti-adherentagent selected from about 0.01% to about 25% of at least oneviscoelastant material wherein said viscoelastant material is selectedfrom linked enzymes, alkyl polyglycosides having 8-10 carbon atoms inthe alkyl chain, bovine lipid extract surfactant, dextrans, dextranderivatives and combinations thereof; at least one anti-adherentcompound wherein said anti-adherent compound is selected from alginicacid, beta-benzal-butyric acid, botanicals, casein, farnesol, flavones,fucans, galactolipid, kininogen, hyaluronate, inulin, iridoidglycosides, nanoparticles, perlecan, phosphorothioateoligodeoxynucleotides, poloxamer 407, polymethylmethacrylate, silicone,sulphated exopolysaccharides, tetrachlorodecaoxide, and combinationsthereof; and combinations thereof.
 20. The nonwoven substrate of claim 1further comprising from about 2 gsm to about 80 gsm of an odor controlmaterial.